Guest guest Posted June 2, 2001 Report Share Posted June 2, 2001 26 May 2001 : Cut off from the school syllabus... BSENSE Delhi Cut off from the school syllabus... Sanghita Singh The debate over conducting experiments on animals might have whipped up enough debates in the past, but the CBSE has finally come out with a decision to delete from the school curriculum the dissection of rats, mice and frogs. Informs CBSE director of academics Bala Subramaniam, ``Three years back, we offered students the choice of not carrying on with experiments involving dissection. Now, we have decided to impose a blanket ban on any kind of animal dissection. And, with a group of experts having identified certain procedures which closely approximate experiments conducted on animals, these procedures have also been recommended by the NCERT for schools to follow henceforth.'' According to Union minister Maneka Gandhi, ``The CBSE has come out with an ideal decision. In fact, the decision was long overdue. Three years ago, when a court ruling made experimental dissection of animals optional, around 70 to 80 per cent students chose to stay clear of dissection. In any case, only one out of every 10,000 students goes on to become a doctor and medical entrance exams do not demand a practical test.'' Counters Neeta Sehgal, zoologist, Delhi University, ``One definitely acquires a better understanding through practical knowledge. An alternative is offered by learning through mass demonstrations. This could be beneficial to students who want to move to the science stream. However, at the end of the day, it all depends on the individual concerned.'' Close on the heels of the CBSE's decision, the human resources ministry and Maneka have launched a campaign at the state level, asking different educational bodies to consider the relevance of the proposal. ``State level bodies have started responding to our plea and are reviewing the proposal,'' informs the minister. In fact, Maneka reasons that longterm benefits will accrue from the CBSE's decision. ``The frog is slowly becoming extinct and dissection experiments adversely affect the survival of the species. Moreover, the way these experiments are generally carried out does not ensure foolproof safety visavis health. Children could well run the risk of contracting infections,'' she elaborates. Side by side, DPS (RK Puram) principal Shyama Chona contends that her school ``is yet to receive the final letter from the CBSE.'' Elaborates Chona, ``Till such time as we receive a notification from the CBSE, we would prefer to leave the decision with the children those who express the desire to continue learning through dissection can do so; for the others, we will, in all probability, develop a computer enabled dissection procedure.'' Well, dissection might not find a place in the school curriculum any longer, but students still have their work cut out. Times Syndication Service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.